Arunachal BJP team meets DV Sadananda Gowda

Itanagar: While appreciating Railway Minster DV Sadananda Gowda for the proposal to build three major strategic railway lines in Arunachal Pradesh up to Tawang, a state BJP team led by president Tai Tagak has urged him to upgrade the Arunachal Express to a super fast weekly express between Naharlagun and New Delhi during the current fiscal.

In a memorandum to the Railway minister at New Delhi on Friday, Tagak said such initiative would also send a strong message to the people of the north east states and the sensitive border state of Arunachal Pradesh in particular, about the commitment of the Centre in developing the neglected region, a party release informed here on Saturday.

This would also strengthen emotional bond with the national mainstream and uphold the sense of patriotism in the younger generations, he said.

The team including general secretary Dominic Tadar and Kurung Kumey district general secretary Bengia Maph called on the minister in his office and appreciated him for earmarking highest ever Rs 5,116 crore for various north east region projects and announcing seven new trains including Kamakhya-Bengaluru Premium Express and an AC weekly express train between Naharlagun-New Delhi to be introduced this year.

Two daily intercity express trains-Guwahati-Naharlagun and Guwahati-Murkongselek will be introduced during 2014-15, Gowda who had announced in his 2014-15 Railway Budget, disclosed that there are 23 ongoing projects in the NE of which 11 are national projects.

With higher allocation and close monitoring of works, the minister hoped that Dudhnoi-Mendipathar new line, Lumding-Badarpur-Silchar gauge conversion, Barmuti-Murkongselek and Balipara-Bhalukpong sections would get commissioned soon facilitating connectivity to the state capital and ongoing major projects in the region.